Or, at least corporatism, that is.

Last night, after a nice long talk with or neighbor that negated any and all plans for us to go out to a good restaurant, my wife and I decided to go up to TGI Fridays so that we could enjoy a nice drink and celebrate my Birthday.

We're both vets of the restaurant realm. In fact, my wife still bartends on Sundays to keep a nice little pile of cash in the coffee can for the week. Because we've both worked in a variety of restaurant settings from fine dining to short order to diner, we are highly in-tune to all of those stupid things that consultants and management types, who have never served a table in their lives, come up with.

What we witnessed last night at Fridays, however, absolutely took the cake for the worst possible cruelty one can place on an employed server.

This is very brief, but head over to Think Progress and read this story.

....

I've read a lot of horrid, abysmal things pertaining to the tragic loss of Mr. Russert over the weekend. Some of which, I could not believe was surrounded by the familiar orange glow that abounds on my favorite web page.

For whatever reason, some folks seemed to go completely off their rockers in their placement of nouns, verbs and adjectives in their respective form boxes. Worse, they decided that the appropriate thing to do was to hit the submit button, reflecting a blatant disregard for the overall health, moral, and reputation of this community.

But....

Warning: Image Heavy.

I had a little time this morning, so I figured I'd explore some ways to help the idea_blank folks over at McCain HQ come up with some slogans that aren't a result of stealing the strong, valid messages the Obama People have come up kicked ass with.

The following are yard signs I'd like to see. Hell, if people want them, I know how, so just ask. Mind you, boredom, early waking to an empty docket and Photoshop could go either way, but at least that hour and a half is something I don't have to worry about anymore!

Enjoy:

I just found out that the corporation behind my biggest and most lucrative clients is losing money, and therefore has decided to go through the company and induce massive layoffs top-to-bottom, including long standing art directors who have been with the company for 15-20+ years.

... Thing is, the reason they are losing money is not because of poor growth, or fuel cost, or anything you may suspect in this treacherous Bush economy; but rather, it seems they are losing money because of something their greedy little greedsters thought was a good idea since Bush opened the door to the devaluation of the American worker. I'm, of course, speaking of outsourcing.

Below...

Just a quickie, but would all of you supporters please take a moment to write Senator Obama and ask that he reconsider appearing on FOX News this weekend?

From   Dipayan Gupta | The Huffington Post:

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace says it's been 769 days since Sen. Barack Obama agreed to an interview that never materialized. But this Sunday, the wait is over. According to a Fox News release, Sen. Obama will be appearing on Wallace's "Fox News Sunday" this weekend.

...Although Sen. Obama's camp has yet to release an official statement, Wallace wrote a post hinting that the upcoming exclusive interview may be the result of Sen. Obama's "double-digit loss" in Pennsylvania.

Briefly, I find it fascinating that Clinton's strategists and supporters find no problem with simultaneously calling slim margined Obama victories 'not really victories' and framing a potentially close victory (if at all) in PA a massive victory despite her big erosion over the past few weeks here and, more ridiculously, whether or not she winds up winning by as little as a single vote.

Dumb quote below the fold.

...All you really have to do is resist the temptation and rely on yourself.

Daily Kos comes equipped with tools to help you avoid the muddling crap that has spiked here lately. Further, because you guys and gals overwhelmingly care about this site (IMHO,) finding what you think represents this place should be a breeze.

This place (IMHO) is made or broken by you; by you and I. There are around 150,000 members here. Some are good and some are bad. Some are smarter than you, you are smarter than others. It is up to you to enhance the discourse here. It is your choice whether or not to validate by repulsion, or to subvert by non-validation. Yes, it is fun to get all sorts of snippety in bad diaries, and honestly, I think it's funny; but to make it your day is to rob yourself of some awfully nifty and important posts from the people you want to protect.

Thankfully, we won't be seeing Former Senator George Allen on any ballots in the near future.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Allen said he and his wife, Susan, "will always fondly recall our time in the Governor's Mansion as an unparalleled honor and a period of historic initiatives and transformational accomplishments for Virginians.

"Yet, as we look forward, we are excited about other significant ways we can serve and contribute outside of elected office. Therefore, I will not be a candidate for governor in 2009," he wrote.

Source: Bob Lewis Associated Press 1/8/08

The word “Change” has become the paradigm from both parties in these waning weeks of the primary season.  Frankly, barring certain instances, the word has become little more than a catch phrase, or, a springboard for a troubled candidate to leap back on to the bandwagon.

This is clearly nothing new. Rather, it is commonplace in the American political cycle. The difference here is that our nation, at this point, is in the gravest danger it has been in quite some time. However, because of advancements in global communication, and the tragic abandonment of media diversity, the simplification of highly complex issues worthy of deeper analysis by the voting public into one-to-three word phrases has become a much more potent norm. It seems that the already limited attention span of the typical American has become even shorter, raising the trend of tactical branding of popular summarizations, such as, “change,” which potentially marginalizes the just anger of the American citizen by consolidating the gamut of countless frustrations into a single item: immeasurably more manageable for candidates who choose to cling to a popular catch phrase (“Change.”)

Tonight, I'll put my head to my pillow and rest easier than I have in quite some time. It has been very hard for us lately and we have had many a restless night as a result.

However, after a long and promising day– after this glorious day, I can sense already a certain heaviness in my eyelids. A blessed fatigue that I haven't felt since my nap at the hotel in Guam, which ended our most recent nightmare.

I wrote the Senator a while back. As I had expected, I began receiving campaign finance emails as a result— not a big deal, really.

However, his staff seems to think that using the 'friend' tactic works in is newly savvy environment. Sadly, it doesn't, in my opinion; rather, personally, I find it both insulting and out-dated.

Sorry, I rarely get to use the internet. I'm on Rota and the internet is bad here.

It felt good to say what I said. And, at least I said it for 2 minutes.

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I thought I'd drop in for a minute to say thanks to everyone for your support and kind words over the past few weeks. It means the world to us.

Also, sorry for not being around for the past week or so. We have only just now finished up our packing and preparing (just in time) for our departure for Rota, CNMI tomorrow morning.

You know how he is and how he conducts himself. You know that he creates fear to perpetuate the ignorance of those who are tuned in as loyal listeners/viewers. You know as well as he knows that he has crossed the line into incredulity long ago, and like Morey from Goodfellas, because of his endless blathering, nobody cares what the hell he says anyway.

He's found a niche in lowering himself. That is not your niche. Otherwise, you wouldn't have joined up here at Daily Kos. So, don't bother reviewing any of his past 'hateful' or whatever comments. Just let him be...

Real quick, I thought I'd give you my opinion of advertising here @ Daily Kos.

Briefly, I was very satisfied.

First off, the main reason I decided to buy 2 weeks of ads using the Classifieds here was because I thought that the diary I had written, while not intended to be, was crossing the line between content and advertising. As some of you may know, I do my very, very best to adhere to both the intentions Markos has for his site and the rules that follow his intentions. Further, were I a member of any forum with any guidelines whatsoever, I would do my best to respect the wishes of those who deservedly want to generate their own income from their forums.   That said, I was compelled to ensure that I was not crossing the boundary into marketing here at my favorite place to be.

After a long, anxious four months, my loving wife and I are officially closing up shop in the Contenential United States and moving to the Island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI.) Frankly, the debt laden, gas-fixated, workaday stress in pursuit of some sort of ‘American dream’ has propelled us to take the financial risk and massive monetary cutbacks in stride and venture off to the edge of the Pacific Ocean, where it at last meets the Philippine Sea.

Rota is the southernmost island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It is approximately 45 miles north of Guam (a separate US Territory) and 75 south of Saipan. The island has a tiny population of about 3500 people, living in either Songsong, on the southwestern peninsula, or Sinapalo on the interior.

From AP (KYW News Radio)

BAGHDAD (AP) -- The U.S. military said 14 American troops have died in multiple attacks, including five killed Thursday in a single roadside bombing in Baghdad.

Briefly, I think that for some reason the casualties of war haven't been put in the front of other important issues. Further, this is a horrible spike.